Good, Better, Best Money-Saving Ideas: Groceries

We're continuing our series from Yahoo on "Good, Better, and Best Money Saving Ideas". Again, the ground rules:

We asked experts to provide a simple tip that will easily save money (good), another tip that might take a little more time or effort but which will save more money (better), and a more extreme tip that will help readers save the most -- but which would require the most thought or effort (best).

Here is what Yahoo names as good, better, and best ideas when it comes to buying groceries:

Good: Shop sales. Look in the Sunday or Tuesday paper (depends on your area) and see what's on sale, advises Kay. Stock up on, and eat, items that are on sale that week.

Better: Sign up for a store card (sometimes called a clipless coupon). Shelf tags and sale ads show the "store card" price as compared to the regular price of the item. Some of these specials are unadvertised. All you have to do is show your store card at the cash register when you check out.

Best: "Get into couponing," says Kay. "Go to a double-coupon store to maximize savings." Use a file box to alphabetize and store your coupons. "Combine couponing with the purchase of sale items," says Kay. "And use your store card. If you make that the way you buy, you've paid the least price possible for the item." To make the most of this strategy, let your pantry dictate the menu. You purchase everything you ordinarily use on sale and with coupons. "Then when you need rice, you've already purchased it for 9 cents a box," says Kay. "Plan your meals around what you have. That's a different way of shopping." Sources for local offers are www.smartsource.com, www.hotcoupons.com and www.valuepage.com.

My wife has used the "best" method here for years. I'd guess that we've saved thousands of dollars over the years with very little effort.

Click here to read Good, Better, Best Money-Saving Ideas: Insurance.

Comments

[Debbie]

I would call all of these merely good--getting discounts.

BETTER: Keep track of prices at different stores in a notebook or a PDA. Then buy things only when you know you're getting a good price.

When I did this, I was surprised. I found that of the two stores that I thought were about equally priced, one was clearly better overall except in the dairy department where the other was better. I was right about the stores I thought were more expensive, but one of them has very good sales.

BEST: Cook from scratch. Don't pay extra to have someone prepare your foods for you. Cooking baked goods from scratch doesn't take much longer than from a mix (except yeast breads). Plus then you can put more fiber and less sugar in your food and gear it to your own tastes.

I cook a lot of things from scratch, especially quick breads, desserts, and main dishes (spaghetti, chili, quiche, etc.) I recommend an oil pastry for pies and quiches--much quicker than using butter or vegetable shortening. However I do buy pre-cooked beans (cheap), pre-cut mixed salads (not cheap), macaroni and cheese mixes (not much more expensive than plain noodles) and the occasional frozen dinner or pizza.

But then I also go out to eat several times a week (too expensive!).

Another idea in this category is to plant at least some of your own food. Find out what grows well in your area and start there. Also, even if you don't have a yard, you can grow herbs pretty cheaply in flowerpots if you have a sunny window or patio.

I keep telling myself I'm going to get around to this, but all I have now is rosemary and chili pequin (the latter which I just think is pretty and would never eat). I've also had luck with strawberries, basil, and chives and would like to try garlic, tomatoes, and other peppers. And maybe one squash plant.